Tag Archives: Odyssey

Nestor was a character in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Throughout both books he was simultaneously praised and scorned for his hospitality and counseling, but overall was viewed as a good and wise counselor, irregardless of the success of those that followed his advice. Too often, nowadays, it seems that we are too focused on immediate results. Even when following sound advice, we lack the patience to see things through when this advice does not bear immediate fruit.

Imagine, then, a dark evening just after a rain shower. We require light. Instead of viewing sound advice as a light switch to be flipped on to produce immediate results, we should look at it as a match being struck and set to a candle wick. A breeze may unexpectedly come along and extinguish the match before we can light the candle, or even an errant leftover raindrop may splash upon our match, but that does not mean the striking of the match was ill-advised.

Here then is the Starfleet Nestor-class, for whom I’ve concocted a storyline as being the first Starfleet ship to feature ship’s counselors as part of the regular crew complement. May their advice bear fruit (in time)!

It is fitting today that I bring to you the Starfleet Odyssey-class U.S.S. Enterprise, registration number N.C.C. 1701-F. Odyssey and Enterprise, those two words mean so much too Star Trek fans, particularly the latter. They represent voyages into the unknown, physically, mentally, and emotionally. For my wife and I, this past year has been a year that has included all of the above. In that time we have struggled with preparing our family of 2 (3 if you count the dog) for a child, and hopefully this new year will see our struggles come to fruition. We have seen couples break apart under the strain of marriage, and we have seen couples strengthen their ties and set out on a voyage towards marriage. We have seen close family members pass away and others struggle with their own lives, and we have seen other family members prosper as they nurture their newborns. We have gone from living to a cramped apartment to a house that almost seems too spacious for us. We have strengthened our own ties to family and friends, while also strengthening our ties to our own communities, both professional and personal.

This past year has been an amazing voyage, and though our struggles are only beginning, the rewards are ever worth it. May you all struggle and be rewarded as well in this new year!